Roosevelt IB Middle School garden

Roosevelt Middle School has three outdoor growing spaces including 28 raised beds, 4 hydroponic tables, nutrient feeding table, 400 square-foot greenhouse, compost area, hardening area and two dozen fruit trees.  Along with these growing classrooms, cooking labs, and proximity to the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park, students have access to all the resources needed to become young agroecologists (contemporary sustainable farmers).  At this age level, we can introduce students to food system education, farm job training, entrepreneurial thinking, micro-enterprise, food production, community organizing, and even food justice.

The infrastructure for the Roosevelt gardens was made possible by a generous Math and Science Partnership (MSP) grant from the US Department of Education. Besides having faculty, staff, and students digging in the dirt, Roosevelt also has established community partnerships with Slow Food Urban San Diego, Good Neighbor Gardens, Keller Williams Realty (Mission Hills Office), US Navy Logistics Unit and a host of community volunteers.

Roots Garden Club is a vigorous after school program. Weekly, the supervisors facilitate learning and exploration with 30 to 50 students who love to dig in the dirt while applying STEAM principles learned in the classroom. Students are being inspired to be the next generation of agroecologists and better stewards of the earth. Besides agricultural knowledge, garden club members gain valuable experience, practical job skills and training in the up-and-coming urban agriculture industry. And given the socioeconomic and cultural diversity at RMS, students also learn to respect the cultural practices of others, value of teamwork, accepting each other’s differences and overall healthy community building.